The present invention relates to a new selenium-containing polymer and to a process for producing same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new polymer containing pendant selenophenol residues which is useful as a reagent for dehydrogenation reaction of organic compounds and to a process for producing such new polymer from a polymer containing diazotized aminophenyl groups.
Up to date, a polymer containing selenium as a part of constituents thereof was unknown. Thus, the present invention provides for the first time a selenium-containing polymer.
In recent years, organoselenium compounds such as selenophenols and diphenyl selenoixides were found to be effective compounds as reagent for dehydrogenation reaction of organic compounds and have been utilized for this purpose. However, these compounds are of less practical value because of their drawback that they possess toxicity and unpleasant odor and make themselves difficult to handle.
It has been found that the above mentioned drawback can be overcome by the formation of a high molecular compound containing selenophenol moieties or diphenyl selenoxide moieties.
On the basis of the above finding, we made extensive researches on synthesis of a high molecular compound containing selenophenol moieties of diphenyl selenoxide moieties. As selenophenol or diphenyl selenoixde itself has high reactivity, however, we were unable to produce such high molecular compound by preparing a monomer previously having a selenophenol moiety or a diphenyl selenoxide moiety and polymerizing this monomer. As a result of further researches, we have succeeded in the production of the end product by reacting a polymer having a reactive functional group with a selenium compound.